Sunday, November 28, 2010

2 Sem. 2010 - Part Eighteen

Marian PetrescuBody and Soul

By Claudio Botelho, an old-goat jazz listener
The main (maybe the only) mission of art is to please the senses. Art is not technology; it doesn’t need to evolve; it doesn’t need to break records, as long as it brings emotions. Art Tatum, in those days of yore, made some art that some find unequalled.It seems to me the music critics (as much as any other art critics, it seems) need discovering new languages every time, as a mean to validate contemporaneous works: one cannot keep walking the same routes all the time. New ones must be forged. I don’t think so. Fangio could never win over Vettel, if each used their respective cars, but Tatum could do it over Mehldau working with an out-of-tune upright piano, couldn’t he? So…I’ve been listening to jazz, since my early childhood and was never mesmerized by any other kind of music save” The Sergeant Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band” and bossa nova which, in its way, is a kind of soft jazz. And the” Lonely Hearts” was something clearly detached from anything else any pop musician had ever done up to that moment…I’ve been mainly listening to the piano-bass-drum format for all these years and have been yearning for more all the time. And if the players decide to ask someone else to join them, they don’t count on my approval: much more often than not, the strange will detract from my pleasure.But this is a personal matter. What I mean is that the trio format, for instance, reinvents itself all the time, as long as it makes art to your heart; as long as it stays transforming beautifully a song in a new-old song as any good jazz should. And that is the main task of the players which will never be superseded by whatsoever new musical language one may create.So, by thinking all this, I invite you to listen “Body and Soul” from the Finnish-Romanian piano maven Marian Petrescu, stating that, in this time, his partner guitar player was NEVER a nuisance…

Marian PetrescuThrivin' - Live At Jazz Standard

By Francisco Claudio B Botelho
Marian Petrescu. His is from Romania, lives in Finland, is an enthusiastic educator and praises Oscar Peterson. Well, this one is not with us anymore. He left an extensive discography and impressed many with his amazing dexterity. Few could be his peer, if virtuosity was the main concern. This Marian is one of the very few of them. And more: if you’re not a Petersonian, he’ll deceive you into being him. How spooky to have Mr. Peterson alive, playing the piano in 2009! But such is the case: the unusually skin fingers of that big man is, again, touching the ivory keys…Along, you’ll find David Fink, on bass, Marl MacLean on drums and Andreas Oberg playing the guitar. The recording engineer is Aaron Nevezie, who captured beautifully the live show at The Jazz Standard, in NYC.The program comprises time proven songs, although some not so often performed like “On the Trail”, “Cakewalk” and “Blues Etude”. These last two from his mentor and may defy the chops of some. On them, Mr. Petrescu had the chance to sport the full arsenal of that great master. Nothing was subdued or left to our imagination: the spirit of that great piano genius prevails all the time.But, perhaps, the evanesque“Blue in Green” (sorry, Mr. Davis, but that song is his own), performed with all its great plangency (who would dare to do it differently?) is the highlight of the show and here Mr. Oberg more than justifies his presence…This is for the new breed o f jazz listeners: “Thrivin’” has an approach of the 60’s/ 70’s, but, as it shows in spades, can more than hold its own with anything representative of these days, from the modernity of a Jason Moran to the more brain-oriented playing of so many European musicians, if emotion is at stake…

By Nenad Georgievski
The art of making music that engages both the head and the heart is evidently not hard to pull off, but can be potentially self-defeating. But Manu Katché's exuberant and playful albums set new standards for brainy, soulful, and funky jazz, by blending his strengths as a composer and instrumentalist. His work as a drummer/composer/bandleader, much of it for ECM, shows Katché at his creative peak, stretching his capabilities to dizzying heights.
The Third Round is the next step upwards on Katché's creative ladder, a release of the highest order that combines moments of supreme beauty with the drummer's keen musical intelligence. With each successive record, Katché changes personnel, this time joined by saxophonist Tore Brunborg, pianist Jason Rebello, guitarist Jacob Young, and, finally, unleashing his secret weapon, bassist Pino Palladino. Katché and Palladino have played on numerous sessions, as well as Katché's first solo album, It's About Time (BMG France, 1991), and they possess a rare, almost telepathic musical kinship.
Dialogue in jazz—or any other music—is an essential, but Katché balances it optimally here, where empathetic encounters are built upon the basis of his quartet's s chemistry. The combination of excitement, texture and melody, individual personality, and group simpatico makes Third Round stand out. Full of fragile beauty, the opening "Swing Piece" and "Keep on Trippin'" demonstrate an unhurried pace, with the musicians' antennas fully tune to the same wavelength. Brunborg, who plays the role of a colorist-in-action with his playful and wistful saxophone, shows a broad tonal range; on the lilting and joyful "Being Ben," Katché adds delightful colors and drive, while Brunborg resonates in layers over top.
But Katché is always the center of attention—setting the pace, driving the dynamics, and establishing the mood. He is a painter who generates understated, deceptively simple grooves, shaded with various flows and colorful treatments. The quiet, mid-paced "Springtime Dancing" is a perfect example of the broad palette of his playing. Katché's bond with Palladino is apparent throughout the disc, the bassist lending a special kind of support and foundation with his purring bass lines.Trumpeter Kami Lyle, who also sings on the beautiful ballad "Stay With You," is something of a novelty on a tune that is simultaneously tender and resilient.
Third Round is full, resonant and rich in details that are typical of the ECM style; the musicians subtly commenting on and amplifying one another's nuances. These elements, combined with brilliant musicianship and Katché's compositions, provide the sort of magic that leads to repeated listening.

By Dan McClenaghan
Working with legendary drummer Paul Motian on her first ECM release, A Long Story (2007), must have been a formative experience for pianist Anat Fort. On And If, her second release for the German label, she opens and closes the set with two readings of "Paul Motian." These are inward, time-standing-still tunes, showcasing Fort's spare and spacious approach to her instrument, with the abstractly nuanced accompaniment of her regular trio-mates, bassist Gary Wang and drummer Roland Schneider.
By and large less gregarious than A Long Story, And If can bubble with forward-leaning energy, as it does on the ebullient "Clouds Moving." And the disc bristles with a dangerous-sounding vibe on "Nu." But ballad beauty makes up the majority of the music, with the wistful "Lanesboro," the gently-rolling "Minnesota," and the holy "En If," alongside the pensive "Paul Motian" twins.
"Something 'Bout Camels," reworked and stretched out from A Long Story's version, gathers into existence on an eerie whine, eventually punctuated by single piano notes, leading to an evolution into mystic trio effervescence.
A Long Story, not initially recorded for ECM but brought there by Motian for consideration, set the bar high for Fort. It received lots of positive press and found its way onto year end top ten lists. Her sophomore And If is every bit as beautiful and more personal, delivering on the promises made by Fort's wonderful debut.